[LETTERS TO THE EDITOR]Near-calamity on East Sea?

On Oct. 15, I read an article about how Korean and U.S. military officials used a video conference to share intelligence on North Korean submarines. The article went on to say that the video conference took place while conducting a search and destroy mission for North Korean submarines.
According to the article, video conferences between high-ranking officers had taken place before, but this was the first time they were used in an actual operation and it was a very rare case. That means that the situation that took place in the East Sea was close to an actual war situation. The greatest military conflict between North and South Korea since the Korean War could have occurred.
First of all, it is lamentable that this quasi-war stance took place on our seas. This event can only be viewed as one that bored a deep hole into national security, not to mention trust between North and South Korea.
Military authorities should tell the people the truth about what happened. Of course, public opinion is severely divided over recent political situations. However, the East Sea incident should serve as a mirror, for when it comes to security, we must build a nationwide consensus that opposition and ruling parties are one and that the whole nation must stand together.

by Yoo Dae-ji